Standard Chartered Bank's major prediction: By 2026, Ethereum will be regarded as the "main stage," with a year-end target of $7,500

The current price of Ethereum on Gate is displayed as $3,117.34. The price of (ETH) has changed by -1.13% in the past 24 hours, and the overall market remains in a cautious wait-and-see phase. However, Geoffrey Kendrick, Global Head of Digital Asset Research at Standard Chartered Bank, directly stated: “I believe 2026 will be the year of Ethereum, just like 2021.” In its latest report, this international bank has anchored its Ethereum price forecast at the end of 2026 at $7,500.

Core Forecast

Standard Chartered Bank has recently updated its mid- to long-term price predictions for Ethereum. Compared to its more optimistic previous outlook, the bank has lowered its targets for the coming years but reinforced the core view that Ethereum will “significantly outperform” other major cryptocurrencies.

• Adjusted Price Path: The bank’s latest forecast expects Ethereum to reach $7,500 by the end of 2026 (down from the previous forecast of $12,000), $15,000 by the end of 2027, and $22,000 by the end of 2028.
• Long-term Confidence Unchanged: Notably, Standard Chartered has raised its longer-term target for the end of 2030 to $40,000. This indicates that its downward revision of mid-term expectations is more based on cautious assessment of the overall market environment rather than a change in Ethereum’s fundamental outlook.
• Relative Performance Outperforming: The report emphasizes that although Bitcoin’s weaker-than-expected performance has affected the overall digital asset market outlook for USD, Ethereum’s fundamentals relative to Bitcoin are improving. The bank expects the ETH/BTC exchange rate to gradually rebound.

Why “Ethereum Year”?

Standard Chartered’s judgment is not unfounded but based on Ethereum’s multiple fundamental advantages in network applications, financial innovation, and technological structure.

Absolute leader in stablecoins and real-world assets (RWA). Currently, more than half of the world’s stablecoins and tokenized RWAs are built on Ethereum. Standard Chartered predicts that by 2028, the total market size of these two sectors will reach $2 trillion, with Ethereum expected to capture most of this growth.

Thriving Layer-2 ecosystem. Ethereum’s core narrative has evolved from a single Layer-1 chain to a layered financial system. Currently, many daily transaction activities (such as DeFi and gaming) have migrated to Layer-2 networks like Arbitrum and Base because they offer faster speeds and lower costs. Meanwhile, the Ethereum mainnet (Layer-1) has evolved into a foundational layer focused on settlement, security, and serving institutional needs.

Network activity hits new highs. Despite cautious market sentiment, actual usage demand on the Ethereum network remains strong. The report notes that recent on-chain transaction volumes have reached record highs, with about 35% to 40% driven by stablecoin transfers. This confirms its practicality as a value settlement network.

Market Consensus and Current Landscape

Standard Chartered’s bullish view is not an isolated case; it reflects recognition from a group of institutional observers of Ethereum’s structural value.

Famous Wall Street research firm Fundstrat also regards Ethereum as one of the biggest macro trading opportunities over the next 10 to 15 years, with analysts previously making bold predictions of $10,000 to $15,000 by the end of the year.

As the largest digital asset firm focused on Ethereum, BitMine Immersion holds about 3.4% of circulating ETH and plans to increase its holdings to 5%. This ongoing, public institutional accumulation provides strong confidence support for the market.

Returning to the current market, according to Gate data, as of January 13, 2026, the cryptocurrency market is in a consolidation phase. Bitcoin is testing a key support near $91,000, while Ethereum shows relative resilience, trading in the $3,100 to $3,150 range. The “Fear and Greed Index” is at 27 (fear), indicating investor sentiment is cautious.

Potential Catalysts and Risk Considerations

Looking ahead to 2026, some key events could become important variables in driving Ethereum’s price narrative. Progress in market structure legislation like the U.S. Clarity Act, if providing clearer regulatory frameworks, could greatly boost traditional financial institutions’ participation confidence and is viewed by Standard Chartered as an important potential catalyst. Ethereum’s own upgrade roadmap (such as upgrades aimed at continuously optimizing network throughput) will also be critical. Historically, higher network processing capacity has directly translated into higher market capitalization.

Of course, the road is not without obstacles. The close link between the crypto market and macroeconomics, regulatory policy uncertainties, and potential challenges in technological upgrades are all risk factors investors need to consider.

Gate data shows that Ethereum’s price is oscillating around $3,150, with the upper resistance near the historical high points that the market is paying close attention to. Below, the $2,900 to $3,000 zone is seen as an important demand area and long-term trend support. Facing the vision of a “significantly outperforming the market” in 2026 painted by Standard Chartered, market hesitation seems to be accumulating energy for the next directional move. When continuous institutional buying and endogenous network growth converge, they may ultimately form a flood that pushes prices through resistance levels.